The standard important date is April 15 of the year after you earned the income

Federal income tax returns are due on April 15 each year for most people. This date applies to returns for the previous calendar year — so your 2024 income is reported on a return due April 15, 2025. The important date is set by federal law and does not change unless Congress passes new legislation or the IRS announces a delay.

April 15 is a hard date, not a suggestion. If you owe taxes and miss it, the IRS charges penalties and interest on top of what you already owe. If you are owed a refund, there is no penalty for filing late, but you lose the money until you file — and the IRS will not hold a refund indefinitely.

The important date falls on a weekend or federal holiday occasionally. When April 15 lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the important date moves to the following Monday. If a federal holiday falls on April 15 or the Monday after, the important date shifts to the next business day. The IRS announces these shifts in advance.

Key Takeaways

  • April 15 is the important date for most individual federal tax returns, covering income earned in the previous calendar year.
  • If you owe taxes and file late, you pay penalties and interest in addition to the tax itself; if you are owed a refund, there is no penalty but you do not receive the money until you file.
  • You can request a six-month extension using Form 4868, which moves your important date to October 15, but this extends only the filing important date, not the payment important date.
  • State income tax important date usually match the federal important date of April 15, though a few states have different dates or no income tax at all.
  • Self-employed people and business owners may have quarterly estimated tax payments due on different dates throughout the year, separate from the annual return important date.

How an extension works and what it does not do

You can file Form 4868 (process for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return) to push your important date from April 15 to October 15. This gives you six additional months. The form is straightforward — you do not need a reason, and the IRS grants it automatically if you submit it before April 15.

An extension delays when you must file your return, but it does not delay when you must pay. If you owe taxes, the IRS expects payment by April 15 regardless of whether you have filed. If you do not pay by April 15, you owe interest and penalties on the unpaid amount, even if you filed an extension and later submit your return in October. The extension is useful when you need time to gather documents or work with a tax preparer, not when you need time to save money for the tax bill.

You can file Form 4868 electronically through tax software, by mail, or through a tax preparer. If you file electronically, keep the confirmation. If you mail it, send it before April 15 and keep a copy for your records.

What happens if you miss April 15 without an extension

Missing the important date without filing an extension triggers two separate penalties. The failure-to-file penalty is 5 percent of the unpaid tax for each month (or part of a month) that your return is late, up to a maximum of 25 percent. The failure-to-pay penalty is 0.5 percent of the unpaid tax for each month the payment is late, also capped at 25 percent. Both penalties accrue from April 15 onward.

Interest also accrues daily on any unpaid tax. The IRS sets the interest rate quarterly; it is currently in the range of 8 to 9 percent per year, though this changes. Interest compounds daily and is separate from penalties.

If you owed no tax — because your employer withheld enough or you had no income — there is no penalty for filing late. The same applies if you are owed a refund. However, you do not receive the refund until you file, and the IRS does not hold refunds indefinitely. Filing years late can result in the IRS keeping the money if the statute of limitations expires.

State tax return important date

Most states that have an income tax use April 15 as their important date, matching the federal date. A handful of states have different important date. For example, some states may have important date tied to when the federal return is due rather than a fixed calendar date. A few states have no income tax at all — including Florida, Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Washington — so there is no state return to file in those places.

If you live in a state with income tax, check your state's revenue or taxation department website for the exact important date and any extensions available. State extensions usually follow the same logic as federal extensions: they delay filing but not payment.

Quarterly estimated tax payments for self-employed people

If you are self-employed, own a business, or have income that is not subject to withholding, you may owe estimated tax payments four times per year. These are separate from your annual return important date. The due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year.

Estimated payments are meant to spread your tax liability across the year rather than requiring a lump sum on April 15. You calculate them using Form 1040-ES and pay them directly to the IRS. Missing these important date also triggers penalties and interest, calculated separately from the annual return penalties.

If you underpay your estimated taxes significantly, you may owe an underpayment penalty even if you file your annual return on time and pay the full amount owed. The IRS calculates this based on how much you should have paid in each quarter versus what you actually paid.

What to do if you cannot pay by April 15

If you owe taxes but cannot pay the full amount by April 15, file your return anyway. Filing on time stops the failure-to-file penalty (5 percent per month) and leaves only the failure-to-pay penalty (0.5 percent per month) and interest. This is a significant difference — you save 4.5 percentage points per month by filing even if you cannot pay.

After you file, you can set up a payment plan with the IRS. Short-term plans (120 days or less) are free. Long-term installment agreements charge a setup fee and monthly interest, but they prevent the IRS from taking collection action while you are making regular payments. You can request a plan through the IRS website, by phone, or when you file your return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to file a return if I did not earn much income?

It depends on your income level and filing status. The IRS sets a threshold each year below which you do not have to file. For 2024, a single person under 65 with less than $14,600 in income generally does not have to file. However, if your employer withheld taxes, filing gets you a refund. Check the IRS website for the current year's threshold based on your age and filing status.

What if I filed my return late but the IRS has not contacted me?

The IRS processes millions of returns and does not always catch late filings when ready. Penalties and interest still accrue from April 15, even if you have not heard from them yet. If you filed late, consider contacting the IRS or a tax professional to understand what you owe and set up a payment plan before the IRS initiates collection action.

Can I file my return before January 1?

No. The IRS does not accept returns for a given year until January 1. If you try to file before then, the IRS will reject it. You can prepare your return and gather documents in advance, but you cannot submit it to the IRS until the new year begins.

Does filing an extension give me more time to pay estimated taxes?

No. An extension applies only to your annual return. Quarterly estimated tax payments are due on their own schedule (April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15) and are not affected by a return extension. If you owe estimated taxes, those payments are still due on their regular dates.

What if April 15 falls on a weekend or holiday?

The important date moves to the next business day. If April 15 is a Saturday, the important date becomes Monday, April 17. If April 15 is a Sunday, the important date becomes Monday, April 16. If a federal holiday falls on April 15 or the following Monday, the important date shifts to the next day that is not a holiday. The IRS announces these shifts in advance each year.